Consistency remains key for Maverick golf teams

Men’s and women’s golf was back in action this week, performing consistently with regards to last week’s performances.
The women’s team recorded another win by shooting +49 at the Warrior Invitational in Winona on Sept. 16 and 17. The tournament was smaller in size compared to last week’s Tracy Lane Memorial. Four teams participated in the Warrior Invitational, including a second group of Mavericks, finishing third as a team in addition to the victory.

Winona State played host this week and finished in a distant second behind MNSU on the leaderboard with a score +84. The Mavs’ lone other opponent was Lewis University located in Illinois. The Mavericks’ B-team had Lewis lead by six strokes at the end of the tournament, finalizing Lewis’s total at +91.

“The women played at a higher level and closer to their capabilities,” head coach Nick Campa said. “I feel that we are capable of playing even better and will improve our scoring as the season continues.”

Campa is especially pleased with the leadership of the upper-class students on the team

“Senior captain Genie Short and Juniors Abbe Partington and Natiiya “Ice” Somboonsup showed great course management and confidence both days,” Campa said.

Somboonsup finished above all other golfers this week, shooting a +9 for the tournament. Not too far behind her in second place for individuals is Partington, finishing only one stroke behind Somboonsup. Next up for the women’s team is the SMSU Invitational in Marshall, Minnesota, beginning September 23 and continuing the following day.

The men’s team performed similarly to the previous tournament. Traveling to Muskogee, OK from Sunday through Tuesday, the Mavs took home a 15th place finish out of the 17 teams golfing at the Muskogee Country Club in the NSU Men’s Classic.

Sophomore Bryce Thompson and Senior Kelton Schmitz both recorded a round of 72 to begin the tournament. One stroke would separate the two golfers at the end of the tournament. Thompson shot a 73 and a 76 in the following two rounds. The number-one-seeded Schmitz remained consistent, shooting two rounds of 75 after the first round.

Mavericks Junior Matt Bennett posted the team’s best individual round with a score of 71 in his final round. Bennett didn’t start off the tournament in high standing after opening up with a round of 79; however, things went much smoother in his succeeding rounds. In his second round, Bennett was able to improve his score by four strokes, lowering it to 75.

Central Oklahoma was the victor of the NSU Men’s classic, improving their standings from taking second place in last week’s Central Missouri Invitational.

The Maverick men’s team will return home to Minnesota next week to play in the J.R. Watkins Invitational in Lake City at a course called “The Jewel” on September 25. The Lake City course is a par-71 and stretches a distance of 7,050 total yards.

Both of the Mavericks teams hope to continue to improve their scores in the upcoming tournaments in Marshall for the women’s team and Lake City for men’s. The women’s team is going for a third-consecutive tournament victory while the men’s team looks to make another jump in the standings.